ESCAPE YOUR HOUSEThe Archive of Houses
A door in a dark house with three LED candles on the floor and an envelope taped to it

Halloween · 31 October

Halloween at home, behind a door

Tonight someone will knock three times on one of the doors in your home. You have an hour to work out which one, and to decide whether to open it.

Get the free kitWhat's inside
The kit

The night of the doors

A case from 1974, a notebook kept by a doorkeeper, and the real doors of your home.

Open case file K2 · Halloween

The night of the doors

Tonight someone will knock three times on one of the doors in your home. You have an hour to work out which one, and to decide whether to open it.

A notebook kept by a doorkeeper who, every 31 October for fifty years, has been closing doors. A case from 1974 in Valdinievole. Every door in your home has a word and a number of knocks. Suspense without blood.

Age
ages 14+, adults included (11-13: kids' mode, Relaxed level, lights on and one adult per team; under 11, K1 is a better choice)
Cost
free
Players
4-8, plus the Doorkeeper, who runs the game and doesn't play
Who runs it
doesn't play, acts as the Doorkeeper
Length
60 minutes
Difficulty
2-3 out of 5
Prep
about 20 minutes with the lights on (estimate, not counting printing and reading the guide), plus a torch test the night before
The file
20 pages + 14 of solutions, A4, black and white

What you need: a printer, scissors, sticky tape, a torch per team (phones are fine), a broom, a mirror, four interior doors, LED candles if you like.

Get the kit
Prepare

How to set up the evening

  1. Choose the Doorkeeper

    An adult, or an older teenager, who doesn't play. They keep the solutions, read the opening and knock at the end.

  2. About twenty minutes with the lights on

    The night before, test the torch on the sheets you'll project. Then set up the house with every light on. Then switch off the ones in the hallway and leave the rest on.

  3. One torch per team

    Phones are perfect. Candles only if they're LED: three in front of a door is enough.

  4. Clear the floor

    Before the lights go off, clear the hallway: no bags, no shoes, no rucked-up rugs.

In the app

If you'd rather use your phone

For anyone playing alone or in a small group who wants a voice that calls at 03:12.

Case file 2 · coming soon

The Whispering House

At 03:12 an old man calls you: there's something in your house that matters. You have until dawn to give him the right count, and not every voice on the phone is his.

Age
12+ · families with the Vigil mode, lights on
Length
about 60 minutes
Players
solo, as a couple, as a group of 3 to 5

Not suitable for under-12s.

The case detailsTell me when it opensMeanwhile, play the prologue (in Italian)
Questions

Questions

Is it scary?

Suspense without gore. The fear comes from the dark, from the knocks and from what you do with your own hands, not from graphic images.

What age is it for?

From 14 upwards, adults included. For younger children there's Who stole the candles?, a mystery with no scares for ages 8 to 12.

How many players?

From 4 to 8, plus the Doorkeeper, who organises and doesn't play.

Do I need to buy anything?

No. A printer, scissors, sticky tape, a broom, a mirror and four internal doors: you already have them.

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